Armand Augustin Louis de Caulaincourt
Encyclopedia
Armand-Augustin-Louis, marquis de Caulaincourt, 1st Duc de Vicence (9 December 1773 – 19 February 1827) was a French
general and diplomat
.
, in the French region of Picardie
. He entered the army at the age of 15, without achieving a high degree of success.
In 1792 he was captain, but he was thrown into prison—probably because he had rendered himself obnoxious to the democrats
. He was freed, but on condition that he should serve as a simple grenadier. He did so for three years, when, through the intercession of General Hoche, he was restored to his former rank as captain. Yet even after ten years of service, his advancements were very slow.
He eventually attained the rank of colonel in the Army of the Rhine in 1799–1800. After the peace of Lunéville in 1801 he was sent to St Petersburg by Napoleon I of France
. His mission was ostensibly to compliment Alexander I
on his accession to the crown, but in reality to destroy the English influence in that court.
On his return he was named aide-de-camp
of the First Consul. He was employed to seize some agents of the English government in Baden in 1804, which led to the accusation that he was implicated in the arrest of the duc d'Enghien, which he vigorously denied.
After the establishment of the empire he received various honors and the title of Duke of Vicenza
in 1808, a duché grand-fief (a rare, nominal but hereditary honor; extinguished in 1896). Napoleon had sent him in 1807 as an ambassador to St. Petersburg, where Caulaincourt tried to maintain the alliance of Tilsit. His tasks were more those of a spy than an ambassador, and although Napoleon's ambition made the task a difficult one, Caulaincourt succeeded in it for some years.
In 1810 Caulaincourt strongly advised Napoleon to renounce his proposed expedition to Russia. During the war he accompanied the emperor, and was one of those whom Napoleon took along with him when he suddenly left his army in Poland
to return to Paris
in December 1812. At the beginning of 1813, Caulaincourt took up the position of Grand Marshal of the Palace
, after general Duroc
died. He was then charged with all the diplomatic negotiations and signed the armistice of Pleswitz, June 1813, represented France at the congress of Prague
in August 1813, and at the Treaty of Fontainebleau
on 10 April 1814.
During the first Bourbon Restoration
, Caulaincourt lived in obscure retirement.
When Napoleon returned from Elba
(the Hundred Days
), he became his minister of foreign affairs, and tried to persuade Europe of the emperor's peaceful intentions.
After the second Restoration, Caulaincourt's name was on the list of those proscribed, but it was erased on the personal intervention of Alexander I
with Louis XVIII
.
Caulaincourt's famous memoir, "With Napoleon in Russia" was lost for years and finally unearthed after World War I. Many years of restoration followed and it was finally published for the first time in 1933.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
general and diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
.
Biography
Armand de Caulaincourt was born to a noble family in Caulaincourt, AisneCaulaincourt, Aisne
Caulaincourt is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France....
, in the French region of Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
. He entered the army at the age of 15, without achieving a high degree of success.
In 1792 he was captain, but he was thrown into prison—probably because he had rendered himself obnoxious to the democrats
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. He was freed, but on condition that he should serve as a simple grenadier. He did so for three years, when, through the intercession of General Hoche, he was restored to his former rank as captain. Yet even after ten years of service, his advancements were very slow.
He eventually attained the rank of colonel in the Army of the Rhine in 1799–1800. After the peace of Lunéville in 1801 he was sent to St Petersburg by Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. His mission was ostensibly to compliment Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
on his accession to the crown, but in reality to destroy the English influence in that court.
On his return he was named aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
of the First Consul. He was employed to seize some agents of the English government in Baden in 1804, which led to the accusation that he was implicated in the arrest of the duc d'Enghien, which he vigorously denied.
After the establishment of the empire he received various honors and the title of Duke of Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
in 1808, a duché grand-fief (a rare, nominal but hereditary honor; extinguished in 1896). Napoleon had sent him in 1807 as an ambassador to St. Petersburg, where Caulaincourt tried to maintain the alliance of Tilsit. His tasks were more those of a spy than an ambassador, and although Napoleon's ambition made the task a difficult one, Caulaincourt succeeded in it for some years.
In 1810 Caulaincourt strongly advised Napoleon to renounce his proposed expedition to Russia. During the war he accompanied the emperor, and was one of those whom Napoleon took along with him when he suddenly left his army in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to return to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in December 1812. At the beginning of 1813, Caulaincourt took up the position of Grand Marshal of the Palace
Grand Marshal of the Palace
Grand Marshal of the Palace was the title employed to refer to the leader of the Military Household of the Emperor, during the First French Empire...
, after general Duroc
Geraud Duroc
Géraud Christophe Michel Duroc, 1st Duc de Frioul was a French general noted for his association with Napoleon.-Life and work:...
died. He was then charged with all the diplomatic negotiations and signed the armistice of Pleswitz, June 1813, represented France at the congress of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in August 1813, and at the Treaty of Fontainebleau
Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was an agreement established in Fontainebleau on 11 April 1814 between Napoleon Bonaparte and representatives from Austria, Hungary and Bohemia , as well as Russia and Prussia. The treaty was signed at Paris on 11 April by the plenipotentiaries of both sides, and...
on 10 April 1814.
During the first Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
, Caulaincourt lived in obscure retirement.
When Napoleon returned from Elba
Elba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
(the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
), he became his minister of foreign affairs, and tried to persuade Europe of the emperor's peaceful intentions.
After the second Restoration, Caulaincourt's name was on the list of those proscribed, but it was erased on the personal intervention of Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
with Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
.
Caulaincourt's famous memoir, "With Napoleon in Russia" was lost for years and finally unearthed after World War I. Many years of restoration followed and it was finally published for the first time in 1933.
Sources and references
- Caulaincourt's memoirs appeared under the title Souvenirs du duc de Vicence in 1837–1840.
- Albert Vandal, Napoleon et Alexandre (Paris, 1891–1895);
- Tatischeff, Alexandre I et Napoleon (Paris, 1892);
- H Houssaye, 1814 (Paris, 1888), and 1815 (Paris, 1893).
- Heraldica.org- Napoleonic heraldry
- At Napoleon's Side in Russia: The Classic Eyewitness Account by Armand de Caulaincourt (Enigma Books, 2001: ISBN 978-1-929631-17-9)